New Delhi: Former India cricketer and coach Anil Kumble paid a heartfelt tribute to India's tennis great Rohan Bopanna as the three-time Olympian announced his retirement, pulling curtains on a spectacular 20-year career.
“How do you bid farewell to something that gave your life its meaning? After 20 unforgettable years on tour, however, it’s my time… I’m officially hanging up my racquet,” the 45-year-old Bopanna wrote on Instagram on Saturday.
The former men's doubles No. 1 player amassed 26 tour-level doubles titles during his career, including the Australian Open in 2024 with Matthew Ebden. With that triumph, Bopanna rose to World No. 1 for the first time and became the oldest man to do so at 43 years. He is a gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Games in the men's doubles event, where he partnered with Divij Sharan.
Anil Kumble's Tweet
Kumble congratulated Bopanna on his stellar career and wrote on X, "Congratulations @rohanbopanna on a truly remarkable career. Your dedication over two decades and the pride with which you represented India are inspirational. Wishing you great success and happiness in the next phase."
Bopanna's victory at the Australian Open last year marked his second Grand Slam title. He previously won the mixed doubles event at the French Open in 2017 while partnering with Gabriela Dabrowski from Canada.
Bopanna has won doubles titles with 15 different players throughout his career, which started in 2003. He claimed his first title with Eric Butorac in 2008 in Los Angeles and has since amassed 539 tour-level wins, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index.
In 2010, he reached his first major final at the US Open with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and then fell short at the same stage in New York in 2023 with Ebden. However, at the following Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, Bopanna and Ebden turned heartbreak into glory by winning their first major title.
Bopanna was also a runner-up at the ATP Finals in 2012 and 2015 with Mahesh Bhupathi and Florin Mergea, respectively. He most recently competed at the Paris Masters, where he partnered with Alexander Bublik in a 5-7, 6-2, 8-10 first-round defeat to John Peers and JJ Tracy.
The 45-year-old had already retired from the Indian national team after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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